British Columbia Bill 34 (Government) — 3rd Parliament, 41st Session — Previous Version 1

3-41 Gov Bill 34-1

British Columbia — Bills

2018 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 41st Parliament

FIRST READING

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

HONOURABLE GEORGE HEYMAN

MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT

AND CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGY

BILL 34 – 2018

GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS

AMENDMENT ACT, 2018

HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, enacts as follows:

SECTION 1: [Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, title] changes the title of the Act to reflect the amendments made by this Bill.

1 The title of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act, S.B.C. 2007, c. 42, is repealed and the following substituted:

CLIMATE CHANGE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT .

SECTION 2: [Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act,

section 2] repeals one emissions target, sets 2 others, and authorizes the minister to set others.

Section 2 is amended

(

a) in subsection (1) by repealing paragraph (

a) and by adding the following paragraphs:

(a.1) by 2030 and for each subsequent calendar year, BC greenhouse gas emissions will be at least 40% less than the level of those emissions in 2007;

(a.2) by 2040 and for each subsequent calendar year, BC greenhouse gas emissions will be at least 60% less than the level of those emissions in 2007; , and

(

b) by adding the following subsection:

(4) The minister may, by order, establish greenhouse gas emissions targets for individual sectors.

SECTION 3: [Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act,

Part 1.1] adds a new Part for provisions not related to emissions.

3 The following

Part is added:

Part 1.1 – Preparing for Climate Change

Reports on climate change risks and progress

4.1 Beginning with a report for the 2020 calendar year, and continuing with a report for every subsequent even-numbered calendar year, the minister must prepare and make public, as soon as reasonably practicable for each year, a report respecting

(

a) a determination of the risks to BC that could reasonably be expected to result from a changing climate,

(

b) the progress that has been made toward reducing those risks,

(

c) the actions that have been taken to achieve that progress, and

(

d) the plans to continue that progress.

SECTION 4: [Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act,

section 12] adds regulation-making authority and expands existing regulation-making authority.

Section 12 (2) is amended

(

a) by adding the following paragraph:

(b.1) prescribing categories of information that public sector organizations must provide to the minister for use in preparing the minister's public report under

section 4.1, the timeframes in which that information must be provided and circumstances in which public sector organizations are exempt from providing that information; , and

(

b) by repealing paragraphs (

h) and (

j) and substituting the following:

(

h) providing exemptions from the obligations under

section 6 [requirements for achieving carbon neutral status] ; , and

(

j) providing exemptions from the reporting obligations under

section 8 [carbon neutral action reports] in relation to a calendar year.

Consequential Amendments

SECTION 5: [Various statutes] makes amendments consequential to the retitling of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act by this Bill.

5 The Acts listed in Column 1 of the

Schedule are amended in the provisions opposite them in Column 2 of the

Schedule by striking out " Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act " wherever it appears and substituting " Climate Change Accountability Act ".

Commencement

6 The provisions of this Act referred to in column 1 of the following table come into force as set out in column 2 of the table:

Item

Column 1

Provisions of Act

Column 2

Commencement

Anything not elsewhere covered by this table

The date of Royal Assent

Section 1

By regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council

Sections 3 to 5

By regulation of the Lieutenant Governor in Council

Schedule

(Section 5)

" Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act " to

" Climate Change Accountability Act "

Item

Column 1

Act being amended

Column 2

Provision

Carbon Tax Act , S.B.C. 2008, c. 40

Clean Energy Act , S.B.C. 2010, c. 22